By Bethany Barrett

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A New Skirt, Review of Using Tweed

So three (?) weeks ago I talked a lot about tweed – types of, sewing with it, etc. After finishing my skirt I’d like to add my final remarks about working with tweed.

It warps. I had to take in my seams by more than an inch each (2 side, zipper seam) after it laying flat between sewing seams and finishing the waistband. It went from fitting perfectly to being morensuitable as a circus tent. It was easily fixable but it was frustrating to deal with.

It’s insanely difficult to unpick the seams. Due to the texture and weave of the tweed, it was hard finding anything less than a basting stitch and then unpicking without ripping anything else was very difficult. This would vary based on the particular tweed you use, some tweed have very uniform width threads.

It’s very heavy, which means it droops just a tad at the front and back where I don’t have a hip to hold it up. It isn’t a huge issue and not very noticeable but you know what they say…you are your biggest critic!

The weave of the tweed is loose. I may actually need a slip! This is just this particular tweed though and so will not be a problem necessarily for future tweed ensembles. Keep that in mind though when using tweed for yourself.

Did I mention it’s heavy? This particular twee is REALLY heavy, which means the leftover tweed I have will definitely be a blazer. I was conflicted on whether I wanted a dress or blazer and now I know for certain.

Due to the looser weave and weight it does drape really nicely. I think it’s very cute and makes a great skirt.

The issue I mentioned first, the waist warping to become this huge mess that no longer fit me at any point on my hips, was fixed thanks to twill tape. What is twill tape? Well, it’s woven material (usually cotton, polyester, wool, or even linen) to use for stabilizing hems, edges, and other similar needs. It’s like bias tape, but not stretchy. It’s useful for necklines and edges that you don’t want to warp, so I sewed some down onto my waistband to help prevent it from warping even more over time. I was going to just interface my bias strip but it was pointed out to me that that wasn’t an option. Twill tape will help keep it from warping further, and it actually helped a bit with the draping issue because it added some stability the waistline needed.

My bias tape wasn’t wide enough to completely cover the twill tape but like I said, it’s really soft so it isn’t a problem. I can’t tell when I wear it, at least.

I attached it with a simple zig zag stitch, then covered it with the bias tape and again used a zig zag stitch to attach the bias tape. Really simple, really fast.

Overall, the twill tape was really easy to work with and it’s also incredibly soft! There’s a little peaking out from my bias waist strip and I can’t even feel it. So I’ll definitely be using this on ALL of my waistlines from now on, simply because it’s so easy to sew on and the peace of mind of knowing my waistline won’t warp is really worth it.

I’d really like to take the time to thank Cindy of RedThreaded for giving me the advice about twill tape. I had never heard of it before she brought it up and I am so glad she did. I love the whole team of Redthreaded, really. They are in Boulder, Colorado, and do historical costuming for theater and personal commission. Following their Instagram (@redthreaded) is always a blast because she posts some great behind-the-scenes pictures and is very involved with the sewing community in general. You can also find them on Facebook! She’s always helping others out and is just an all around talented and lovely person. So thank you Cindy! I appreciate your help.

I chose James McAvoy because holy moley is this guy incredibly good looking and this .gif makes me smile…and I’m totally cool with that.

Overall, tweed is going to become a huge part of my collection if I can help it. The problems I had with it were easily fixed, and since there’s wool blends available for cheap, I can have warmer garments for winter. This skirt will keep my hips and thighs very warm and with a slip I’ll wear tights for my calves (or wear high boots!). Paired with a cute matching blazer I see this as being a very well used skirt which is always a plus. I hate that feeling of not wearing what I’ve made because it turned out to be not exactly what I was hoping or there were problems I wasn’t expecting.

I had fun with my camera today so I have a few fun pictures of the skirt being worn, though my backdrop is my sewing desk…I really need to up my picture game. Anyhow, I’m glad to be back to blogging after missing last week, school is just really time consuming right now. Chat me up about tweed, and please share your own fun outfits!